ACC baseball tournament

FORMAT: Begins with a play-in game at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday between the No. 8 and 9 seeds. It becomes double-elimination on Wednesday. On Saturday, the matchup of the four remaining teams will be based on previous opponents in an attempt to avoid a rematch. Sunday's game at 1 p.m. may not be necessary.

AT STAKE: The league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament goes to the winner, but with five teams virtual locks for bids regardless, the ACC tournament could prove critical for teams hoping to host an NCAA Region.

WHAT TO EXPECT: It should be as wide open and as competitive as an NCAA Region. Entering last week, Baseball America had five ACC teams in its top 13: No. 1 Clemson, No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 5 Florida State, No. 12 Georgia Tech and No. 13 North Carolina.

REMEMBER WHEN: St. Petersburg last hosted the ACC tournament in 1997. With strong fan support, the Seminoles won with a 10-0 rout of Clemson. Although it has finished first in the regular season three times since, FSU hasn't won another tournament title.

TICKETS: A pass for any six of the 10 sessions is $25. Individual session tickets are $6 for adults, $3.50 for seniors. To order, call Ticketmaster at (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100 or go online at www.ticketmaster.com.